Welcome back from a glorious sunny and also, on a positive note, rainy weekend! Even with close to drought like conditions, the harvest bounty at the market is growing. Whether you are shopping for weekend trips to the cottage or nightly patio meals market ingredients will make your meals explode with local, seasonal flavour. Browse the market to find grass-fed beef, heritage eggs, fresh greens (they will last much longer than store bought!), strawberries, raspberries, cherries, fermented pickles, kombucha (for fun cottage drinks), cheese, sourdough, gluten-free breads and more. The farms are working hard to keep the fields irrigated, weeded and harvested to bring the best of local food to the market. The only missing ingredient...is YOU! It might be hard to believe that summer is the slowest time for markets - even though it’s the peak of growing season. So squeeze us in to your summer routine, enjoy dinner in the park, our fabulous music and be sure to support your farmers!

Photo courtesy Peter Visima

Beaches Jazz Fest is Back!

The Beach Jazz Fest farmers' market series is back this week. The simply incredible Toronto All Star Big Band - comprised of the top GTA youth jazz musicians will be hitting the stage again. Visit the POP-UP Jazz Cafe hosted by our local and much loved Flying Pony Cafe for some iced coffee! So come on down, grab a coffee and listen to jazz music while shopping around from our one-of-a-kind vendors.

Photo courtesy Peter Visima

Vendor Feature ~ Welcome Back Tiffinday and Jerry's Berries!

Tiffinday curry fries and pakoras are back by popular demand! Seema Pabari from Tiffinday is joining Ignatius Farm to feature their produce in her famous south-asian inspired food.

It's raspberry season and Jerry's Berries is back! Jerry's raspberries are hand-picked the morning of market by his loving family on their berry farm in the Niagra region. These berries are incredibly fresh, last longer than store bought and are a punch a flavour! Perfect for summer desserts, canning and freezing.

In the Garden

This week in gardening news - Three Edible “Weeds” you can eat in the city!

We are not experts on this subject matter, but here are some “weeds” that we love to eat or that have been recommended by the experts as edible and are worth tasting and/or using in a salad.

Dandelion greens: These greens are extremely prevalent in our city’s parks and are rich in calcium, iron, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and protein! These greens also help reduce the risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, cataracts and other diseases. I’ve harvested these on multiple occasions and made a nice salad with a yummy vinaigrette!

Lambsquarters: You can often find lambsquarters growing in back alleys, or vacant lots in the city. The leaves can be stir fried or used in a salad amongst other uses, as well you can actually grind the seeds themselves into a flour! You can chew the leaves raw to help combat toothaches, or also combine all parts to combat swelling, rheumatism and arthritis.

Image from “greensmoothiesblog.com”

Garlic Mustard: This plant is a wild edible that is considered invasive in a wide variety of geographical areas. High in vitamins A, C, and E and containing potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and omega three fatty acids, this garlic flavoured is a great addition for pasta and can be used to make a nice pesto!

Image from “newengland.stewardshipnetwork.org”

Look around next time you are out in the city and see if you can spot these edible plants and maybe try them out yourself! ​